STANDARD 3: Language Arts Literacy

Language Arts Literacy

Mission: Learning to read, write, speak, listen, and view critically, strategically and creatively enables students to discover personal and shared meaning throughout their lives.

Standard 3.1 Reading All students will understand and apply the knowledge of sounds, letters, and words in written English to become independent and fluent readers and will read a variety of materials and texts with fluency and comprehension.
Big Idea: The ability to read a variety of texts requires independence, comprehension, and fluency.
3.1.5 A. Concepts About Print
Essential Questions	Enduring Understandings
- How does understanding a text’s structure help me better understand its meaning?	- Understanding of a text’s features, structures, and characteristics facilitate the reader’s ability to make meaning of the text.
Areas of Focus/Cumulative Progress Indicators	Comments and Examples
1. Use a text index and glossary appropriately.
2. Survey and explain text features that contribute to comprehension (e.g., headings, introductory and concluding paragraphs).
3.1.5 B. Phonological Awareness: No additional indicators at this grade level
3.1.5 C. Decoding and Word Recognition
Essential Questions	Enduring Understandings
- How do I figure out a word I do not know?	- Readers use language structure and context clues to identify the intended meaning of words and phrases as they are used in text.
Areas of Focus/Cumulative Progress Indicators	Comments and Examples
1. Use the pronunciation key of a dictionary to decode new words.
2. Use context clues or knowledge of phonics, syllabication, prefixes, and suffixes to decode new words.	Instructional focus: - Polysyllabic words; root words (cognates); prefixes and suffixes -Use of known words to understand the meaning of unknown words -Building of background knowledge via teacher read alouds -Increased use of non-fiction material during language arts literacy instruction ASSESS word attack skills during guided reading.
3. Interpret new words correctly in context.	Instructional focus: - Building of background via teacher read alouds - Increased use of non fiction material during language arts literacy instruction -Vocabulary instruction Example: Reading passage Scientists tell us that glaciers accumulate water during rainy seasons and release water during dry seasons, keeping the natural balance that our Earth needs for its survival. What happens in one part of our world, can dramatically affect what happens in others. In parts of South America, inhabitants depend on faraway glaciers for some of their water. Because of global warming trends, glaciers are rapidly melting and water supplies are in peril. Some countries may experience water shortages that threaten the health and safety of their people. Much of the glacial melting has been traced to richer nations that produce emissions harmful to our world environment. Because we now understand, more than ever, the effects of our actions, it is imperative that nations work together to ensure safe, adequate resources for all! Multiple choice question: The word “peril” in the second paragraph means: a. abundance * b. danger c. the mountains d. none of the above
4. Apply spelling and syllabication rules that aid in decoding and word recognition.
3.1.5 D. Fluency
Essential Questions	Enduring Understandings
- How does fluency affect comprehension?	- Fluent readers group words quickly to help them gain meaning from what they read
Areas of Focus/Cumulative Progress Indicators	Comments and Examples
1. Adjust reading speed appropriately for different purposes and audiences.	Instructional strategies: - Fluency needs to be modeled (read alouds by fluent adults), practiced (in small, flexible guided reading groups and independently with text that is reread), and assessed by the teacher (during running records and/or conferencing with students).
2. Apply knowledge of letter-sound associations, language structures, and context to recognize words.
3. Read aloud in ways that reflect understanding of proper phrasing and intonation.
4. Read silently for the purpose of increasing speed, accuracy, and reading fluency.
5. Apply self-correcting strategies to decode and gain meaning from print both, orally and silently.
3.1.5 E. Reading Strategies (before, during, and after reading)
Essential Questions	Enduring Understandings
-What do readers do when they do not understand everything in a text?	- Good readers employ strategies to help them understand text. Strategic readers can develop, select, and apply strategies to enhance their comprehension.
Areas of Focus/Cumulative Progress Indicators	Comments and Examples
1. Activate prior knowledge and anticipate what will be read or heard.
2. Vary reading strategies according to their purpose for reading and the nature of the text.
3. Reread to make sense of difficult paragraphs or sections of text.
4. Make revisions to text predictions during and after reading.
5. Apply graphic organizers to illustrate key concepts and relationships in a text.
3.1.5 F. Vocabulary and Concept Development
Essential Questions	Enduring Understandings
-What do readers do when they do not understand everything in a text?	- Words powerfully affect meaning
Areas of Focus/Cumulative Progress Indicators	Comments and Examples
1. Infer word meanings from learned roots, prefixes, and suffixes.	.
2. Infer specific word meanings in the context of reading passages.	Instructional focus: • Understanding the meaning of words through an understanding of the passage’s context, purpose, audience and specifics such as historical context ASSESS using passages/sentences with unknown words. Ensure that the text provides enough known context to allow for inference. Inappropriate assessment item for this CPI: With the deft hands of a sculptor, Alberto constructed a volcano for the school science fair. What does the word “deft” mean? a. dirty b. strong * c. skilled d. large
3. Identify and correctly use antonyms, synonyms, homophones, and homographs.
4. Use a grade-level appropriate dictionary independently to define unknown words.
5. Use a thesaurus to identify alternative word choices and meanings.
3.1.5 G. Comprehension Skills and Response to Text
Essential Questions	Enduring Understandings
- How do readers construct meaning from text?	- Good readers compare, infer, synthesize, and make connections (text to text, text to world, text to self) to make text personally relevant and useful.
Areas of Focus/Cumulative Progress Indicators	Comments and Examples
1. Identify author’s purpose, views, and beliefs.	Instructional strategies: • Teacher read alouds with attention to author’s intent, views and beliefs • Guided reading to improve comprehension at student’s instructional level • Independent reading by students and subsequent demonstration of each student’s understanding of author’s point of view • Demonstration of understanding of an author’s point of view through multimedia projects and activities • Integration of the study of an author’s point of view within the historical perspective ASSESS using reading passage, allowing students to write a response to open-ended questions. Example: Do you agree with the author’s point of view? Explain why or why not.
2. Identify genre by their distinctive elements (e.g. tall tale-exaggeration)	Instructional strategies: Teacher read alouds; shared and independent reading and full discussion of genre through: • Literature circles • Guided reading group and individual discussions • Conferencing with individual students • Project-based learning based in genre • Library visits and classroom assignments with attention to genre and author studies • Student-generated graphic organizers and semantic maps that highlight genre-specific elements and vocabulary ASSESS using reader’s response to specific genre.
3. Use cause and effect and sequence of events to gain meaning.	Instructional Strategy - Use higher order questions whose answers demonstrate knowledge of cause and effect Example: Based on our class readings about life in New Jersey, explain why certain factors have brought people here in recent years to live and work? Create a timeline to highlight the events that may lead to families moving to our state.
4. Anticipate and construct meaning from text by making conscious connections to self, an author, and others.	Instructional Strategy • Literature circles • Group and individual discussions • Conferencing with individual students • Project-based learning based on connections to the theme • Student-generated graphic organizers and semantic maps that highlight connections Example: Read and respond to this journal entry written by a 13-year-old. Tell what the journal entry reveals about the runaway. Use examples from the entry to support your answer. Dear Journal, Today is snowy and cold. I don’t own a coat and I am freezing. I haven’t eaten in days and I’m hungry. While I waited in line at the soup kitchen, I closed my eyes and tried to imagine what it would have been like growing up in a family where people really DID care about you – where there was a hot dinner on the table every evening, and parents to tuck you in at night. I must have been dreaming because when I opened my eyes all I saw was evidence of the nightmare I am living. Example Questions: • What would it be like to walk in this runaway’s shoes for a day? • What does the author want us to see and feel?
5. Recognize persuasive and propaganda techniques used to influence readers.	Instructional strategy - use authentic media: • Editorials • Advertising campaigns • Celebrity endorsements • Popular culture, e.g., music, poetry, television and other media, etc. ASSESS through students’ oral and written responses to the elements inherent in persuasive writing. Example: Design and write an online advertisement for a new invention. Use persuasive language. Target your audience.
6. Recognize historical and cultural biases and different points of view	Instructional strategies: • Teacher read alouds with attention to author’s intent, views, culture and beliefs • Guided reading • Independent reading by students and subsequent demonstration of each student’s understanding of author’s point of view, historical references and cultural biases • Demonstration of understanding of an author’s point of view through multimedia projects and activities • Integration of the study of an author’s point of view with a focus on the historical perspective during the time in which the piece was written ASSESS using writing assignments that allow students to share their cultural points of view based on multi-cultural readings.
7. Understand that theme refers to the central idea or meaning of a selection and recognize themes, whether implied or stated directly.	Instructional focus: • Classroom instruction around a central theme that crosses content areas (social studies, science, math, etc.) • Examination of literature for theme whenever relevant • Reading passages connected to the theme upon which the units/lessons are planned. Example: Choose literature related to the historical period studied in social studies.
8. Distinguish between major and minor details.	Instructional strategies: • Classroom discussion (whole group, small group) • Graphic organizers
9. Make inferences using textual information and provide supporting evidence.	Instructional strategy – higher order questioning Ask: • What does the author mean? • What words support that meaning? • What meaning is not explicitly stated? • How does this passage relate to something you know about or have heard about? • How does that knowledge lead you to infer from the author’s writing?
10. Recognize common organizational patterns in text that support comprehension (e.g., headings, captions).	Instructional strategies: • Use nonfiction text elements (headings; captions; sidebar stories and facts; illustrations; graphics; etc.) to fully comprehend text • Whole group instruction- text features • Small group- guided reading using nonfiction text • Organization of classroom libraries to feature organizational text ASSESS using writing assignments and project-based learning tasks that demand organizational elements. Example: Design a website illustrating an event in history. Include pictures and captions, graphs, charts, headlines, etc., as appropriate.
11. Identify and analyze text types, formats, and elements in nonfiction.	Instructional strategies Students study and critique: • News stories • Websites • Feature articles in newspapers, magazines and journals • Online newsletters • Textbook chapters ASSESS through oral and written critique.
12. Recognize literary elements in stories, including setting, characters, plot, and mood.	Instructional strategy – higher order questioning Ask: • How does the setting directly affect the story’s outcome? • How critical to the story were the supporting characters? • How would you analyze the plot? • How is the mood relevant to the reader and to the story? ASSESS through class discussion.
13. Recognize figurative language in text (e.g. simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration).	Instructional focus: • Explicit instruction about figurative language • Selection of teacher read alouds that are authentic examples of authors’ uses of figurative language • Investigation of the sound of poetry and how it can be used to affect mood or tone of the message • Exploration of the various structures of poetry and discussion of the ways that poets use their craft to convey a message ASSESS through writing assignments (responding to and creating poetry).
14. Identify and respond to the elements of sound and structure in poetry.	ASSESS by incorporating poetry into writing assignments (both responding to poetry and writing poetry in various forms, e.g., Haiku, ballads, etc.)
15. Identify the structures in drama.
16. Read regularly in materials appropriate for their independent reading level.
17. Interpret idiomatic expressions.	Instructional focus: • Explicit instruction is needed on idiomatic expressions, particularly for students whose first language is other than English. It is helpful to make connections for students between the literal and non-literal interpretation of language. ASSESS by having students explain the literal interpretation and the idiomatic meaning through dramatic presentation.
H. Inquiry and Research
Essential Questions	Enduring Understandings
- Why conduct research?	- Researchers gather and critique information from different sources for specific purposes.
Areas of Focus/Cumulative Progress Indicators	Comments and Examples
1. Use library classification systems, print or electronic, to locate information.
2. Develop and revise questions for investigations prior to, during, and after reading.
3. Use multiple sources to locate information relevant to research questions.
4. Read independently and research topics using a variety of materials to satisfy personal, academic, and social needs, and produce evidence of reading.
5. Draw conclusions from information gathered from multiple sources.	Instructional strategy: •Synthesize information from various sources to answer a research question. Example: Interpret a census table and local demographic information to answer the questions: • How has the city/town in which you live changed? • What factors have influenced those changes?
6. Interpret and use graphic sources of information such as maps, graphs, timelines, or tables to address research questions.	Instructional strategy: • Synthesize information from various sources to answer a research question. Example: Locate our state on a map of the U.S. and explain how its location affects the way people live and work. Use a word processing program, power point and/or other media to present your work.
7. Summarize and organize information by taking notes, outlining ideas, and/or making charts.
8. Produce projects and reports, using visuals, media, and/or technology to show learning and support the learning of an audience.

Standard 3.2 Writing All students will write in clear, concise, organized language that varies in content and form for different audiences and purposes.
Big Idea: Writing is the process of communicating in print for a variety of audiences and purposes.
3.2.5 A. Writing as a Process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, postwriting)
Essential Questions	Enduring Understandings
- How do good writers express themselves? How does process shape the writer’s product?	- Good writers develop and refine their ideas for thinking, learning, communicating, and aesthetic expression.
Areas of Focus/Cumulative Progress Indicators	Comments and Examples
1. Write stories with multiple paragraphs that develop a situation or plot, describe the setting, and include an ending.	Instructional focus: • Explicit instruction • Study of writers (what they write about; how they express their points of view and/or feelings; how the setting is conveyed and how it influences the story ) • Writing instruction that includes all steps of the writing process • Writing assignments that reflect literature read in the classroom and incorporate students’ personal experiences Example: Students write developed stories with multiple paragraphs.
2. Write informational compositions with multiple paragraphs that present important ideas, provide details, and offer a concluding paragraph.	Instructional focus: • Explicit instruction about how background for an informational story is gathered; how the sequence of the piece affects the readers’ understanding; how to write an ending that synthesizes the information • Study of informational writers (what they write about; how they convey information in a way that makes it accessible to readers; use of paraphrasing; use of informational elements (captions; illustrations; charts; graphs, etc.) • Writing instruction that includes all steps of the writing process • Writing assignments that reflect nonfiction read in the classroom and incorporate students’ understanding of the subject matter Example: Students write about the formation of volcanoes after studying the effects of nature on landforms.
3. Generate possible ideas for writing through listening, talking, recalling experiences, hearing stories, reading, discussing models of writing, asking questions, and brainstorming.
4. Develop an awareness of form, structure, and author’s voice in various genres.
5. Use strategies such as graphic organizers and outlines to elaborate and organize ideas for writing.
6. Draft writing in a selected genre with supporting structure according to the intended message, audience, and purpose for writing	Instructional focus: - Understanding genre, author’s voice and intent, audience and purpose for writing - Drafting - Structures of writing in various genre Example: Students write a persuasive essay about the importance of voting.
7. Make decisions about the use of precise language, including adjectives, adverbs, verbs, and specific details, and justify the choices made.	Instructional focus: • Explicit instruction during both teacher read alouds and small group instruction • Interactive word walls • Teacher paraphrasing during reading and speaking • Anchoring of the new words to students’ backgrounds and experiences • Writing assignments that require the use of mature words • Attention to words that authors choose and how the words illuminate the story or the information being shared
8. Revise drafts by rereading for meaning, narrowing focus, elaborating and deleting, as well as reworking organization, openings, closings, word choice, and consistency of voice.
9. Review own writing with others to understand the reader’s perspective and to consider and incorporate ideas for revision.
10. Review and edit work for spelling, usage, clarity, organization, and fluency.
11. Use a variety of reference materials to revise work.
12. Use computer writing applications during the writing process.
13. Understand and apply the elements of a scoring rubric to improve and evaluate writing.
14. Reflect on own writing, noting strengths and setting goals for improvement.
3.2.5 B. Writing as a Product (resulting in a formal product or publication)
Essential Questions	Enduring Understandings
- How do writers develop a well written product?	- Good writers use a repertoire of strategies that enables them to vary form and style, in order to write for different purposes, audiences, and contexts.
Areas of Focus/Cumulative Progress Indicators	Comments and Examples
1. Expand knowledge of characteristics and structures of selected genres.
2. Write a range of grade appropriate essays across curricula (e.g., persuasive, personal, descriptive, issue- based)	Instructional Focus: • Use literature and expository text to study an author’s use of words, phrases and information • Provide multiple writing assignments that allow students to write across curricula • Expand persuasive writing beyond only letter writing to include editorials, essays, advertisements, endorsements, etc. • Develop targeted word walls to provide vocabulary used specifically for persuasive, descriptive writing, etc. • Investigate issue-based current events and work to incorporate writing into the development of an understanding of social studies/science based issues Examples: • Students write an editorial about school rules. • Students write a descriptive piece about their favorite relative and that person’s impact on the family.
3. Write grade appropriate, multi-paragraph, expository pieces across curricula (e.g., problem/solution, cause/effect, hypothesis/results, feature articles, critique, research reports).	Examples: • Students write about a science project, from hypothesis to results. • Students write a feature article about a school administrator for posting on the school/district website. • Students write a movie review.
4. Write various types of prose, such as short stories, biography, autobiography, or memoir, that contain narrative elements.	Examples: • Students write short stories. • Students write their autobiography.
5. Support main idea, topic, or theme with facts, examples, or explanations, including information from multiple sources.	Examples: • Students provide facts, examples, or explanations when developing their writing.